Monday August 3, 2009

Hello and welcome to the July 31 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

General Convention is over and time is marching on to the Wyoming Convention! August 8 is the pre-convention meeting with locations all over the state! Email: office@wyomingdiocese.org or call 307.265.5200 for more information.

The new telecommunication system is in! The new phone system that also integrates video conferencing has been installed and working. Tomorrow (August 4) is the official change-over from the old system. Workshops and training on the system have already started and regional workshops will happen soon on how to utilize the new Diocese video conferencing system, WebEx. Plus, the phone conferences will be the same from the user point of view. From the Diocese-side, however, we will be saving hundreds of dollars every conference call.

Also, if you are still in the planning (or even preplanning) stages for the Mustard Seed Mission, the Diocese and Foundation are standing by to help you! Let us know! As always, we are a phone call or email away. At the October Convention each congregation that participated in the Mustard Seed Mission is expected to report back at Convention. So if you are stuck, or just need an extra helping hand, please contact us.

A reminder that if you have articles you would like to share with the rest of the Diocese, please email them (and a picture if you have one) to info@wyomingdiocese.org. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering news or events, but anything you would like to share.

Thanks and God’s peace,

-Andrew

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St. James in Kemmer in the news! http://tinyurl.com/n28m4q & http://tinyurl.com/knw7rx

Janet Seeley models the Pay it Forward wristband

Their Mustard Seed Mission project is making news around the community!

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St Matthews made The Tribune last week when storm clouds rolled in, making for a spectacular shot!

Picture from July 28 in the Casper Star Tribune

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Submitted by Arlen Rounds. Email: imrounds@yahoo.com

Dear Friends,

We greet August with unseasonal cold weather. Records for the coldest high temperature for July 29th were set in Laramie & Cheyenne. It broke a 150 year record in Cheyenne. That is almost longer than we have had outdoor thermometers. I think it will warm up and we will have comfortable weather for the rest of the summer.

The church calendar is a little busy this month. Another “Wade in the Water” session was scheduled for August 1st. Fr. Doug has asked it to be rescheduled to Aug. 23rd following the service. I agree with this change.

The Pre-convention meeting is scheduled for Sat. Aug. 8th at noon in Laramie. Dr. Doug has offered to take Lillian to this meeting.

The Apostolic Team is scheduled to meet in Saratoga on August 22 at 10 A.M. We should make arrangement for car pooling to help our pocket books.

Our scheduled services are on August 9th, 23rd, and the 30th. The lessons for August 9th are 2 Samuel 18: 5 – 9, 15: 31 – 33: Psalm 130; Ephesians 4: 25 – 5:2 and John 6: 35, 4 – 51. Fr. Jess is scheduled to be the Officient.

The lessons for Aug. 23 are : Psalm 84; 1 Kings 8: 41 – 43; Ephesians 6: 10 – 20 and John 6: 56 – 69. Fr. Doug is the Officient for this service.

Our service on the 5th Sunday (Aug. 30) will be a Morning Prayer Service led by Arlen. The lessons for this service are Psalm 45: 1 – 2, 7 – 10; Song of Solomon 2: 8 – 13; James 1: 17 – 27 and Mark 7: 1 – 8, 14 – 15, 21 – 23.

Ida and I will be in South Dakota from July 31 thru Aug. 10th and in Cheyenne from Aug. 12th through Aug. 16th. Ida starts her teaching assignment on August 19th. It looks to be a very busy month for us.

Enjoy the last month of summer vacation. We hope to see you in church.

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Submitted by Ms. Ellen Galligan. Email: galligan@bresnan.net

From the Holy Trinity Newsletter
On Saturday, July 18, 2009, seven youth and four adults from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church spent an incredible day in the mountains having fun, worshiping God, and soaking in God's breathtaking creation. The day started at 8:00 a.m. as we carpooled from Thermopolis through Cody to the beautiful Shoshone Lodge just 3 miles east of Yellowstone National Park. After arriving, the excited kids got to explore the area around the lodge and play in the stream with the frogs. Then we took a beautiful hike into the mountains and learned about all the wildflowers that were in bloom, how to get cowboy boots unstuck from the mud, and about God's green earth. We rested under the shade of a big tree near a stream and a rocky overlook that provided the perfect "cathedral" for our worship service. Rachel discussed with the group the relationship we have with nature, all of God's creation, and the Holy Spirit. Then Ellen and Father Joe lead us in worship and Eucharist. What an awesome place to feel the presence of God! After a rest, we hiked back to the lodge, ate lunch, and had some free time to play and explore. At 3:30, we all got our gear together and prepared for the activity of the day...a 2 hour trail ride into the mountains on horseback! We saddled up and along with four experienced guides, moseyed up the trail...passing a briskly running stream, colorful meadows, dense woods, and breathtaking views. The horses were great with the kids, and gave some of them a gallup or two. And the kids were great with the horses - getting to trust them and know them by name. After the ride, we had a stretch, some watermelon, a little more play, then we loaded up and headed back to Cody for some tasty pizza. Thrilled, exhausted, full of stories, and some of us sore, we drove home through the rain back to Thermopolis. The youth that attended were Nicole Davenport, Logan Kay, Hadley Jeffries, Stacey Lewis, Sascha Mobbs, Sean Miller, and Ryan Miller. The adults that drove and chaperoned the day were Ellen and Father Joe Galligan, and Rachel and Vern Miller. What a great day we had and what a wonderful God given world we are blessed to live within. Thanks be to God!

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By Mr. John Peacock. Email: mettenheim@msn.com

St. Mark's engaged in a bit of time travel during Sunday services on July 19. The service began with Morning Prayer from the 1892 Prayer Book and concluded with Eucharistic Prayer C--the Star Wars Prayer--from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.
Sponsored by the church's Worship Planning Committee, the church's annual Historical Service offers an opportunity to not only experience a 19th Century service but also to get a good sense of how liturgy changes.

The event marked the start of the 112th Cheyenne Frontier Days. St. Marksters like to remind visitors that the church, founded in 1868, is 29 years older than Frontier Days itself.

Congressman Cynthia Lummis, State Senator Floyd Esquibel and State Representative Lori Millin were special guests and each participated in the service by reading scripture or prayer.

Visitors and guests alike, many dressed in either period costume or western wear, enjoyed homemade ice cream and lemonaide at the social following the service.

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By Mr. John Peacock. Email: mettenheim@msn.com

Governor Proclaims August 23 Jonathan Daniels Remembrance Day

Governor Freudenthal has proclaimed Sunday, August 23, 2009 as Jonathan Daniels Remembrance Day and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming, will be observing the Feast of Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Seminarian and Witness for Civil Rights, in a series of events on August 22 – 23, 2009. The Rev. Judith Upham, seminary classmate of Daniels, will be guest priest. The Rev. Upham will preach at both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services and lead a Sunday Forum between services. The Forum will afford a unique opportunity to meet and ask questions of a participant in the civil rights marches of the 1960's.

Jonathan Myrick Daniels (March 20, 1939 – August 20, 1965) was an Episcopal seminarian, killed for his work in the American civil rights movement. On August 13, 1965, Daniels, in a group of 29 protesters, went to picket whites-only stores in the small town of Fort Deposit, Alabama. All of the protesters were arrested and taken to jail in the nearby town of Hayneville. Five juvenile protesters were released the next day. The rest of the group was held for six days; they refused to accept bail unless everyone was bailed. Finally, on August 20, the prisoners were released without transport back to Fort Deposit. After release, the group waited by a road nearby the jail. Daniels with three others — a white Catholic priest and two black protesters--went down the street to get a cold soft drink at Varner's Grocery Store, one of the few local stores that would serve nonwhites. Tom L. Coleman, an engineer for the state highway department and unpaid special deputy, who wielded a shotgun, met them at the front. The man threatened the group, and finally leveled his gun at seventeen-year-old Ruby Sales. Daniels pushed Sales down to the ground and caught the full blast of the gun. He was killed instantly. The priest, Richard F. Morrisroe, grabbed the other protester and ran. Coleman shot Morrisroe, wounding him in the lower back. Daniels’ death helped galvanize support for the civil rights movement within the Episcopal Church. He is regarded as a martyr in the Episcopal Church. (source-Wikipedia)

The Rev. Judith Upham, who graduated from the Episcopal Theological School in 1967, spent most of the spring semester 1965 in Selma, Alabama, working with Jon Daniels. She was ordained Deacon on December 6, 1975 and Priest on January 6, 1977. She was Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Syracuse, New York, from 1979 to 1991. Since then she has served as Interim Rector for a number of parishes throughout the country.

Observances at St. Mark’s are sponsored and made possible by The Jonathan Daniels Society, the Church’s Peace and Justice Ministry. The public is invited. St. Mark's is located at 1908 Central Avenue.

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By The Rev Joe Galligan. Email: joe@wyomingdiocese.org

As you can see from the Holy Trinity article, there was a great trail ride! Also, the office is being repainted & decorated, including a new computer/printer,etc. which will have a high-speed connection, an email address, and eventually a web page.

Also, in Region I, St. Alban’s, Worland & Holy Trinity, Thermopolis, are moving along with their Ministry Role Description workshops and their Pastoral Care folks are up & functioning. Thermop’s group meets weekly for prayer & study.
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St. Alban’s just had their “all church family” Bar-B-Q with wonderful food and a very good turn-out. Jack Porter & Christiane Gee, & Troy Garcia set it up, provided the tasty meat course, & did the grilling on the new grill, while everyone else brought the salads, desserts, etc. An enjoyable time was had by all & they plan a repeat performance. Their “Born Again” stores, Outreach/ Mission project, had its appreciation dinner for all their volunteers.

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By The Rev Doug Wasinger. Email: doug@wyomingdiocese.org

Hello August which for most of us it is the beginning of Carbon County Fair Week (a big deal for this part of Wyoming and for the Wasingers in Rawlins). I am coming off a great week of vacation and had a productive week in Ministry Development throughout this region. A quick glance around the County looks like this … St. Thomas (Rawlins) has worked hard through the month of July and is taking a well earned break from the business end of the church for recreation; St. James (Encampment) has been enjoying the summer and is now fully engaged with fair activities; St. Paul (Dixon) working through haying season and is moving toward fair week with enthusiasm; St. Luke (Medicine Bow) is working to support the local museum through the summer months. I hope this letter finds you well.

Before I move into up-dating people about the past week I want people to notice the picture of Alexis. Yup that is a rainbow trout that she caught by herself during our vacation two weeks ago. It is 17 inches long and she is planning on eating it with my folks in a couple of week in Colorado Springs. Alexis is quite a fisherwoman!

Last Monday I returned from vacation and jumped right back into the waters of the church by taking the plunge into the Summer Bible Café reflection at St. Paul’s in Dixon. They have now completed 2 Chronicles (the 14th book in the Bible) and will be reading Ezra for next week. They have been gathering faithfully for the past couple of years every other Monday to share what they have read, ask the community questions about what they read, and share food afterwards. It is a good time to laugh and read the bible one book at a time.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Casper for a face to face Ministry Developer meeting. The first day we learned about using WebEx a platform similar to Adobe Connect in which we can conduct meetings on-line. The Diocese of Wyoming has been graciously been extended support from EDS in allowing us to use their Adobe Connect platform, but is now time for Wyoming to stand on their own technological feet. So, for those who have been using Adobe Connect to meet on-line keep an eye out for changes that will be taking place in the weeks and months to come. Also the Ministry Developers were given “soft phones” as another effective tool for communication throughout the Diocese. More details on how that works will be coming out in the weeks and months to come. We wrapped up Tuesday activities by spending the evening at Kathy Robinson’s wonderful house for dinner.

Wednesday the Ministry Developers worked on scenarios. The purpose of this work was to think ahead for about 10 years and tell stories around different themes. The themes that we talked about were evolution of the Diocese, a revolution within the Diocese, a win/lose situation in the Diocese, and a challenge and response in the Diocese. The exercise generated great insights in regards to our work as Ministry Developers and I think it has clarified the work ahead. It has me thinking about the future in a more proactive way.

On Thursday I spend the morning at Kraft Hall summarizing the scenario work. That afternoon I sat down with Karen Buckingham of St. Thomas (Rawlins) to plan out our work for the coming months. Warren Frelund called me that afternoon and requested that he change his visit to St. Paul’s (Dixon) on Sunday and he was able to work out the details. What that meant for me was that I had to regroup quickly and write a sermon on Saturday. No problems when it comes to working with St. Paul they simply roll with the events.

Sunday I was at St. Paul’s in Dixon and Olivia came along. She requested that she light the candles and then she went into the parish hall to color and make pictures. The church was full of familiar faces which were nice considering that the Valley is in the middle of haying season and working hard to put up the hay for the winter months. When it was time to distribute the bread and wine, Olivia ran up to the doorway between the church and the parish hall took communion and then ran back to her table. What an image to keep in mind … a child running to be fed by God’s blessing with a smile on their face.

Looking forward to upcoming week is starts on Monday with a Gospel Reflection time at St. Thomas (Rawlins) beginning @ 9am. At 10:30 am Andy and I are going to woodshed WebEx for about an hour to learn more about how to make this technology work for us rather us working for the technology! Tuesday will be my planned day off for the week and I am planning on going fishing again in the Snowies. Wednesday I have the weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers and that evening @ 6pm I will be on another web/phone meeting with the Evangelism team of Wyoming. Thursday I will be heading to St. John’s (Green River) for a Wade in the Water – Session 5 starting @ 6:30 pm. Friday will be a day to catch up on all the other items that I missed throughout the week. Saturday is the Pre-Convention meeting and for Region 4 we will be meeting in Laramie starting at noon. This up-coming Sunday I will be presiding at St. Thomas (Rawlins) @ 9:30 am.

Be well my friends and enjoy fair week!

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Submitted by The Rev Doug Wasinger. Email: doug@wyomingdiocese.org

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies
New Center series beginning October 16-18 in Casper, St. Stephen's.
 

Read and begin to understand why over 350 clergy from the MT, WY, CO, KS, NE, IA and from six denominations, (Yes, including Episcopalians) have been attending the Center.

”Anxious Times call for Non-Anxious Leaders”

So there is anxiety in your world. Big Surprise. These times are filled with issues that stimulate anxiety, finances, war, security, global warming. Add to that the normal familial ways that anxiety is raised such as children, relationships, health issues, relatives, schools, jobs, etc and we have plenty to deal with.

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness is designed to help you as leaders, whether in your family, your friendships, your professional family, or your church family, to created responses that will be more productive. Through this experience you are going to learn about the human brain, self-differentiation, leadership, anxiety – its triggers and its action as a virus, as well as healthy characteristics of response. This is called “Family Systems thinking.
Come and find out how sometimes your greatest efforts to deal with stressful situations can be sabotaged either by others or even by yourself.

Come and find out how we really do carry our emotional processes from generation to generation. And sometimes we do really sound like our parents….yikes!

Whether you are dealing with a crying 3 year old, an adolescent exploding with changing hormones, a teenager seeking to define themselves, a marriage or significant relationship, stressful work situations, or a church (which can include all of the above!) you can learn something valuable at this seminar.
Come and become a more healthy leader!

Critical Information:

I hope that you continue to consider attending the next Center for Pastoral Effectiveness scheduled to begin Friday-Sunday, Oct. 16-18. The Center is Six Three-Day Retreats spread over about 18 months. It integrates family systems thinking into the everyday life of a clergy. This becomes a part of a clergy health plan! The cost is $1800 and the payments are spread out over the 18 months. This is a Center for Clergy Designed By Clergy!

Respond with one of the numbered responses below. Send to integrity4u@comcast.net

1. I am interested in attending.

2. I will not attend this Center but keep my name on the list for the future.

For more information, click on www.pastoraleffectiveness.org. We do hope you will seriously consider this opportunity.

Peace

Bill Selby, Center Mentor

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By The Rev Bob Edlan. Email: eldan@bresnan.net

The following positions will be voted on at the Diocesan Convention:

Diocesan Council
1 lay person for a 3 year term
1 clergy person for a 3 year term
Bishop appoints one person

Ecclesiastical Court
1 lay person for a 3 year term
1 clergy person for a 3 year term

Provincial Synod
3 lay persons for a 1 year term
3 clergy persons for a 1 year term

Standing Committee
1 lay person for a 3 year term
1 clergy person for a 3 year term

If you are interested in any of these positions please submit to Bob Eldan (nominations chair) your name along with a statement of why you fill suited by October 1 at the latest. Via email: eldan@bresnan.net, phone: 307-332-2075,
or mail:
249 Mount Arter Loop
Lander, Wyoming 82520-2921

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By Ms Pamela Kandt. Email: pamelagrw@aol.com

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The Search Committee is thrilled to announce the publication of the new Profile for the Diocese of Wyoming. To download your very own copy, go to the Bishop Search & Transition website at www.wyomingbishopsearch.com -- there's a link right on the front page.

The Search Committee thanks all of the folks who contributed to the creation of the Profile, especially the clergy and parish members around the state who took time from their busy lives to share their thoughts and aspirations about the next Bishop of Wyoming. They'll see their comments faithfully reproduced in the Profile.

The deadline for applying is August 31, 2009. Additional details are provided in the Profile & Application.

* * * * * * *

The Transition Committee wants to share the good news that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has confirmed July 24, 2010 as the consecration date for the new bishop-elect. In case you didn't already know, the PB will be here in Wyoming the 1st of October for our 2009 Diocesan Convention in Casper and then will return in July 2010 for the consecration. Start polishing your boots 'cuz that'll be some celebration!

Again, just a reminder... Please do NOT contact the bishop or any of his staff with questions, comments, concerns or rumors about the Search & Transition process. Bishop Caldwell and his hardworking crew are in no way involved and it's unfair to disrupt their busy days with matters they can't address. Instead, contact one of these folks who'll have the answers your questions and be happy to answer them:

Search Committee Chairwoman
Linda Anderson
307-388-0883
anderson_linda_@hotmail.com

Transition Committee Co-chair
Cindy King
307-259-2023
cindylking@juno.com

Transition Committee Co-chair
John Peacock
307-631-8914
mettenheim@msn.com

Communications Team Chair
Pamela RW Kandt
307-377-7763
pamelagrw@aol.com

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